The Ranger Online

Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Opinion

KSYM not helpful to students

Editor:

I anticipate that the April 4 issue will advertise and support the upcoming KSYM pledge drive; however, before you do, you should understand that the current leadership at the station discriminates against certain students that do not fit their "profile" and fosters an atmosphere dominated by too many nonstudent disc jockeys.

Many nonstudent DJs, many of whom show no support for students, simply show up for their shift like it's an entitlement, as in one case with a nonstudent DJ who has made the most of 21 years on the air at student expense.

The station has become a hobby for nonstudents while those trying to further their radio careers are denied access to facilities because prime times are not available, such as on the weekend, when all but two hours of programming is taken by nonstudents.

I think your readers should be aware of this before they give money to a college station, that by its own policy manual is touted as "student operated," which is far from the truth.

In fact, KSYM has little, if any, concern for academics, and the department has already made it clear that they don't have to listen to students' concerns.

Quite simply, KSYM has become its own entity separate from the rest of the school.

Jim "Scoop" Boyle
Radio-television-film Sophomore

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Grateful for others' concerns

Editor:

I commend Jennifer Ytuarte's efforts to ensure that she is a caring and capable parent.

Often mistaken as a teenage parent, I, too, have been on the receiving end of unfounded criticism.

I sympathize with her frustration at being singled out as deficient in ability because of her age, however, she missed something in regard to her day care example.

Ytuarte's viewpoint was printed in an issue of The Ranger that also contained an article reminding us of our town's child abuse problem.

Day care providers are a vital line of defense for children. Regardless of a parent's age, they have a moral responsibility to ask uncomfortable questions when abuse or neglect is a possibility.

When any doubt remains, the providers have a legal obligation to report their concerns.

Last year, my toddler's eye was swollen shut. We were shopping when a concerned man came up and asked what happened. I explained that my son was taking medication for an eye infection. The man took a closer look and became satisfied that there was no bruising along with clear evidence of infection.

Was it an uncomfortable situation? Absolutely, it was. Was the man reacting to my teenage appearance? Not in this instance.

I am grateful that a stranger cared enough about my son to make sure he was well.

My hope is that all abused children will cross paths with people like Ytuarte's day care provider, or my man from the store, before they become the next tragic lead-in to our nightly newscast.

Sharon Whiten
Journalism Freshman

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Age is nothing but a number

Editor:

You don't have to be 30 years old to know how to care for kids. I see parents that are well into their 40s yelling and screaming in a vain attempt to regain control over their 5-year-old who has fallen on the H-E-B floor, flailing about screaming that he wants the one with the bunny on it.

Some of the worst parents I've seen have been responsible, well-adjusted adults who simply can't relate to their kids' wants or needs.

The generation gap is hard to cross and it keeps getting harder as kids grow up with more technology, which only helps to widen the gap. Parents just can't keep up.

Younger parents have the advantage of only being 20 years behind their kids as opposed to the 30- to 40-year gap some parents must bridge.

A friend of mine, Dani, had her baby about nine months ago, and she is one of the best mothers I've ever seen. She attends night school at St. Philip's College so she can watch the baby during the day and she refuses to go out if she doesn't have a sitter that she knows personally.

Dani is barely 18 and she has all but given up her life as a teenager to take care of her baby.

On the other hand, my cousin is one of those kids in H-E-B. Her mother is 30 and at the tender age of 2, the child is a bit of a drama queen. Like most little girls, she wants everything Dora the Explorer and is not afraid to throw a tantrum to get it.

Her mother has no idea how to care for kids. The child is often dirty and lice-infested when she is dropped off at my grandmother's for church on Sundays.

Yes, some young parents are irresponsible, ignorant and unfit to be trusted with the upbringing of another human being, but for others this is simply not the case.

Why should all young mothers and fathers suffer the dirty looks, the ugly comments whispered as they pass or even the cruel remarks yelled in a supermarket?

Like all things in this world, a few bad apples spoil the bunch.

Amanda Sturgeon
Journalism Freshman

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